Pallekele ( Kandy – Sri Lanka ): Team India kicked off their T20 series against Sri Lanka with a convincing 43-run victory in the first match at Kandy. Under the new leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, who has taken over as T20I captain, and with Gautam Gambhir debuting as the head coach, the Indian team showed impressive form. Despite recent success, including a T20 World Cup win after 17 years, Yadav emphasized starting afresh, indicating a focus on the current series rather than past achievements.
At the toss, Yadav mentioned the pitch looked good for batting and highlighted the strong relationship he has with Gambhir. The Indian squad made a few notable changes, with players like Dube, Samson, Khaleel, and Washington missing out onPallekalle this match.
The batting performance was led by Suryakumar Yadav, who scored a dynamic half-century, complemented by strong innings from Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill. Their collective effort allowed India to set a challenging target of 213/7 in their 20 overs.
In response, Sri Lanka’s openers got off to a promising start, but a mid-innings collapse thwarted their chase. They were eventually dismissed for 170, falling short by 43 runs. Sri Lanka will have another opportunity to challenge the Indian side in the second T20I at the same venue.
